News

Kentucky Air Guard Unit Gets Domestic-Response Nod

8/20/2013

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US Transportation Command earlier this month
declared that the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response
Group is fully mission-capable to provide domestic disaster-response assistance
to civilian authorities, according to a release. TRANSCOM rendered the decision
after the group on Aug. 8 completed a four-day earthquake-response exercise in
Mascoutah, Ill., with the Army's 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from JB
Langley-Eustis, Va., states the Aug. 14 release. "The
inspectors told us we knocked it out of the park and awarded us an overall
grade of 'outstanding,'" said Col. Mark Heiniger, 123rd CRG commander. The group' mission is to ensure the rapid delivery of food, water, medicine, and other assistance by airlift, even when local airports are closed. The Kentucky group is the first fully operational CRG in the Air National Guard, according to the release. In 2012, TRANSCOM affirmed the group's ability to perform the joint port-opening mission overseas. (Mascoutah report by Maj. Dale Greer)